Mounting for eyeglasses.



N0. 836,599. PATENTED NOV. 20, 1906 E. F. MoKEE & E. OPTEDAHL.

MOUNTING FOR EYEGLASSES.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.5.1906.

WITNESSE-5' v a M I3. Wm gm ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWINF. MoKEE AND EINAR OFTEDAHL, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNORS TO THE STANDARD OPTICAL COMPANY, OF GENEVA,

NEW' YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 20, 1 906.

Application filed December 5, 1905. Serial No. 290,401.

T at whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, EDWIN F. McKEE and EINAR OFTEDAHL, of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mountings for Eyeglasses, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in mountings for eyeglasses, and refers more particularly to the construction of the clamps or straps which are secured to the,

' screw tightly against the lens at the side of the aperture nearest to the edge which is engaged by the retaining-lugs. This produces a constant gripping pressure upon the portion of the lens between the aperture and edge engaged by the clamp, and owing to the fact that this pressure is practically unyielding and that there is always more or less expansion and contraction of the glass between the rigid points of connection of the clamp it is obvious that the clamp must be either excessively tight or loose, and it is observed that almost all of the breakages of the lenses occur across the'aperture between the clamping-bolt and lugs which engage the edge of the lens. It is also well known that owing to the large variety of thicknesses of the lenses it becomes necessary for the manufacturer, as well as the retailer, to carry in stock a large variety of clamps of varying widths to fit the different thicknesses of lenses, which is of course objectionable.

The essential object, therefore, of this invention is to not only avoidv the excessive breakage referred to, but also to enable the clamp or mounting to be applied to various thicknesses of lenses without liability of binding or rigidly confining the portion of the lens grasped by the clamp, so as to leave ample room for the axial expansion and contraction of the intervening portion of the lens, at the same time to avoid excessive pressure of the clamping-screw against the sides of the aperture of the lens through which it asses.

A furtlier object is to provide the clamp with opposed fingers gras ing between them the opposite faces of the fens and providing one or both of said fingers with one or more projections adapted to be seated in a corresponding recess or recesses in one or both sides of the lens for the purpose of permanently holding the lens in the mounting against looseness or rocking movement upon the screw without excessive tightening of the serew or clamp upon the lens, thereby reducing the liability to breakage to a minimum.

Another object is to provide a one-piece clamp and to thereby obviate the necessity for heating and soldering the parts of the mounting together, as heretofore practiced, and which tends to anneal and destroy the resiliency of the metal parts.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a face view of of our improved lens clamps or mountings thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view through one of the clamps and adjacent por tion of one of the lenses. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken of the clamp seen in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 represents a fragment of the lens, showing the recess radiating from the bolt-hole. Figs. 5 and 6 are perspective views, respectively, of the attaching ends of the lensclamp.

In demonstrating the practicability of our invention, we have shown a lens 1 as provided with a bolt-hole 2 and opposite recesses or grooves 3, radiating from the bolt-opening in one side or face of the lens, although it will be apparent from the following description that any groove or recess in the face of the lens close to the bolt-hole will serve the purposes of our invention.

The lens clamp or mounting, whether united to the stud, bridge, or end piece, preferably consists of a bifurcated strap of suitable metal formed in one piece and comprising a pair of opposite clamping-arms 4 and 5, which are spaced apart at the base or junction a distance equal to or slightly greater than the thickness of the thickest lens commonly used in eyeglasses or spectacles, so

a pair of spectacles, showing the application 4 and 5 are provided with apertures 6 and 7,

that the free ends of the arms 4 and 5 may be pressed or drawn toward each other to fit any lens of this or less thickness, said arms being sufficiently pliable to ermit the flat clamping ends to be brought atwise against and parallel with the opposite faces of the lens to which they are secured. These arms which are registered with the aperture 2 in the outer face of the arm 4. The opposite arm 5 is also substantially flat, except that certain portions of it in registration with the recesses or grooves 3 in the lens are depressed to. form one or more (in this instance two) projections 10, which are seated in the grooves 3, it being understood that the projections 10 are located at diametrically opposite sides of the opening 7 and are made by indenting the ortions ofthe arm 5 in registration with t e grooves 3 before the clamp is applied to the lens, such indentations being arm 5 for receiving the lock-nut 9.

made by a prick-punch or similar device.

The threaded end of the screw 8 projects some distance beyond the outer face of the This lock-nut may be of any well-known type commonly employed in the art of lens-mountings, but in its application in the present instance in connection with the specific form ofclamp is particularly effective in holding the screw against backing up or loosening by reason of the fact that the clamping ends of the arms 4 and 5 lie flatwise or substantially arallel with each other against the opposite faces of the lens without any tendency to l spring outwardly or to maintain any constant ,the lens without binding.

outward pressure on the nut or bolt, as in many instances where the arms of the clamps are not spaced apart sufficiently to receive In other words, it is obvious that if the heels of the arms 4 and 5 were spaced apart a less distance than ing-arms, in substantially parallel planes and providing at least one of the arms with one or more projections which enter corresponding recesses in the adjacent face of the lens, so that if the bolt and nut are not absolutely tight the lens is still held in position by the projections 10 entering the grooves 3.

In assembling the lens in the mounting one side or face of the lens is first provided with one or more recesses or grooves, as 3, at the side of the bolt-hole, as 2, and one of the arms of the lens-clamp is provided with a corresponding indentation or inward projection, as 10, after which the clamping-arms are brought into such relation as to easily receive between them the adj acent edge of the lens until theapertures 6 and 7 are registered with the screw-hole 2 in the lens, care being taken to bring the projections 10 into registration with the recesses 3, whereupon the bolt 8 is inserted, in the manner described, through the alined apertures in the arms 4 and 5 and lens 1, and the lock-nut 9 is then screwed upon the threaded end of the bolt as tightly as may be advisable, thus locking the bolt and arms 4 and 5 to the lens.

When the parts are assembled in the manner described, it will be observed that the screw 8 is maintained centrally in the lensopening 2 without binding or even bearing against the sides of said opening and that the clamping-fingers 4 and 5 are united some distance from the edge of the lens and intervening space between the edge of the lens and end piece, bridge, or stud of the mounting, thereby doing away with the usual bearing or strap against the edge of the lens and allowing all portions of the lens to ex and and contract freely without any 00 'ng pressure, except the comparatively light pressure of the arms 4 and 5 axially of the screw against op osite faces of the lens. This also allows t e arms 4 and 5 to be adjusted a greater or less distance apart to receive lenses of different thicknesses without in any way cramping the arms or causing them to bind upon the lens or screw and enables the lens to be held firmly in the mounting without excessive pressure, which would be liable to crack the glass.

What we claim is 1. In combination with a lens having a bolt-hole near one edge and a plurality of recesses radiating therefrom, of a lens-clamp comprising a one-piece bifurcated metal strap fitted to op osite faces of the lens and provided with olt-holes alined with the bolthole in the lens, said strap being free from engagement with the periphery of the lens and having a plurality of projections each seated in one of the recesses in said lens, and a clamping-bolt passed through the apertures in the strap and lens.

2. In combination with a lens having an aperture near one edge and a recess or groove radiating from said aperture, a bifurcated mounting having its base some distance from the edge of the lens forming an intervening space, and its opposite arms engaged with opposite faces of the lens and provided with apertures alined with the aperture in the lens, one of the arms having a projection seated in said groove, and aclamping-bolt passed through the apertures in the arms and lens.

3. In combination with a lens having an aperture near one edge and a recess in one face radiating from the aperture, a pair of arms applied to opposite faces of the lens and having apertures alined with the aperture in the lens one of the arms having a projection seated in the groove in the lens and a bolt passed through the apertures in the lens and arms, said arms being united to each other some distance from the adjacent edge of the lens forming an intervening space between their junction and said adjacent edge of the lens to allow expansion and contraction of the portion of the lens between the screw and junction of the arms.

In Witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands this 27th day of November, 1905.

EDWIN F. MOKEE. EINAR OFTEDAHL. Witnesses:

SLoAN PITZER, OTTO E. ENGELLAND. 

